Franjo von Allmen, Marco Odermatt, Swiss minister for sport Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and third place finisher Miha Hrobat of Slovenia dance on the podium at Lauberhorn.
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
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Swiss skier Marco Odermatt has won the Lauberhorn downhill ski race in Wengen, Switzerland, for the third time. It was the fifth Swiss double of the season in the men’s category, with compatriot Franjo von Allmen taking second place.
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He may hail from the canton of Nidwalden, but Wengen is Odermatt’s home. The best skier in the world has proved that no-one can currently compete with him on the Lauberhorn, even when the piste is a little easier to get to grips with.
At the entrance to Hundschopf, the World Cup leader managed to maintain a speed in excess of 82 km/h, and just before the Kernen-S, despite being wider, Odermatt, known affectionately as Super Marco, carved up these legendary bends. He gave himself a bit of a fright on the final S, attacking the gate at an impressive angle. By crossing the line in two minutes and 22.58 seconds, the Swiss set a new record, after Kristian Ghedina held the previous one since 1997 (two minutes and 24.23 seconds).
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The Lauberhorn downhill – the mountain of fate
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The classic Lauberhorn downhill ski race has been a World Cup fixture since the race circuit started.
“It’s a good reaction after yesterday’s race [when he came in seventh in the Super-G],” Odermatt told Swiss public television RTS. “The skiing was perfect on this snow, the feeling underfoot was good, and on the jumps I knew I was good at going further than in training.”
Filled with confidence, Odermatt is now ready for his big goal of the season: to win on the Streif. “Kitzbühel is the most important race of the year for me, so we’ll see, but my confidence is perfect,” said Odermatt, who took the 43rd victory of his career, his fourth in downhill.
von Allmen’s dream weekend
Finishing behind Odermatt was compatriot Franjo von Allmen, who enjoyed a dream weekend 24 hours after claiming his first World Cup success in the Super-G. Starting just ahead of the eventual winner, the Bernese crossed the line in the lead with a 20-second advance over Miha Hrobat.
“I wanted some green, but I knew there were some good riders behind me,” he said with a big smile. “”It wasn’t easy to keep my strength up in the final S, but I took the energy from the crowd.” This is the first time the Swiss have taken the top two spots in the Lauberhorn.
Another Swiss, Justin Murisier, had a very good outing, coming in seventh place. But the skier was not entirely satisfied: “I was average in the sections where I’m good and quite good in the sections where I had problems. And I wouldn’t have 100,000 chances in Wengen. After Kriechmayr’s interruption just before I set off, it wasn’t easy. I didn’t take enough risks in the final S.”
Just behind the winner of the Beaver Creek downhill, Lars Rösti was also keen to take part in the Swiss ski festival. Apart from a slightly slower passage in the sliding section, the Bernese skier gave himself a nice present a day before his 27th birthday with a magnificent eighth place. He equalled his best World Cup result from the Super-G in Val Gardena.
Stefan Rogentin took 12th place, while Bormio winner Alexis Monney missed the last gate.
Translated from French with DeepL/gw
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